Like the comic book characters who inspired them, the BoxingWatchers are dedicated to observe all of the biggest fights the sweet science has to offer. With no insider access to the sport, they record what they've seen here. The BoxingWatchers are passionate fans who pledge to bring you intelligent opinions, predictions, reviews and commentary.

13.12.07

With no important fights until January, consider these the final rankings for 2007. I made some adjustments to the formula to more accurately reflect (hopefully) the level of competition each fighter has faced over the last three years. Thus, some fighters may have moved down even without fighting (sorry Punisher!). It's a work in progress, no doubt.

Please remember that these rankings reflect a boxer's recent body of work more than his skill level - that's why B-Hop is absent, for example. For a more thorough explanation of how our rankings work, check out the post helpfully entitled How Our Rankings Work.

Without further ado...

1. Miguel Cotto - 22.38 - Won some more admirers by beating Shane Mosley. He's tough, has power and underrated boxing skills. Oh yeah, he also knocks a lot of people out. Welcome to the top spot.

2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. - 18.10 - Surprised many (including this writer) by knocking out Hatton. The win was no surprise, though, and it doesn't look like he has much interest in fighting the gentleman above him here. Shame.

3. Kelly Pavlik - 17.98 - Downgraded slightly for his level of competition, but that doesn't make his KO of Jermain Taylor any less impressive. A repeat performance in '08 could put him right back on top.

4. Israel Vazquez - 17.78 - The lightest guy on this list. Hey, we had to draw the line somewhere.

5. Wladimir Klitschko - 16.50 - Uatu doesn't like that he's on this list at all. He deserves it because of his performances, but the heavyweight division is still sad.

7. Manny Pacquiao - 14.45 - Getting ready for a monster rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez. I thought he lost the first one, but he's improved a lot since then.

8. Joe Calzaghe - 14.21 - Calling out The Executioner is a pretty dumb move for most boxers. But most boxers aren't as good as Calzaghe...

9. Chad Dawson - 14.14 - "Bad Chad" has the misfortune of being in a fairly crappy weight class - depending on whether or not you consider Hopkins a light heavyweight. Dawson may get some more love if he knocks out Glen Johnson in his next fight.